CPC Application:
“Old Colony
Rail Trail”
by Town Councilor Jesse Gordon
jgordon@randolph-ma.gov
617-320-6989
May 1, 2023
Vision for “Old Colony Rail Trail”
What a fully-open Rail Trail looks like: What our mostly-closed Rail Trail looks like:
(flat wide trails, good for kids, wheelchairs, etc.) (we DO have a flat wide trail down there!)
Project for Old Colony Rail Trail
•Currently open from Depot
Street to North Street
•Trail is littered and
overgrown from North Street
to Teed Drive and Chiefs Way
–I propose clearing that trail,
this year.
•Trail is buried at North St.;
seeking plan to dig out
underpass (and I’ll propose
to dig it out next year)
•Will work with Braintree next
year & propose boardwalk to
South Street conservation
area and Kellaway Drive
1. Depot Memorial
1. From Depot Street to North
Street -- this is on the MAPC
Landline map as an "Existing
Greenway" and it is open to the
public. It's a lovely
walk/bike/stroller trail from the
abandoned train depot, with the
abandoned track visible for much of
its length and a little memorial at
Depot Street with exposed track.
2: Depot Street crossing
2. In 2022, the CPC funded
restoring the "Welcome" sign
at Depot Street -- which was
built decades ago but has
faded into non-readability.
I will get that "Welcome" sign
restored by this summer.
The crosswalk (behind the
photographer here) should be
painted green, indicating the
Rail Trail continues to the
Depot Memorial.
3: Main Street crossing
3. Main Street crossing needs
regular litter cleanup. This year
the DPW got a “vacuum
vehicle” appropriate for this
stretch of trail.
Some funds are allocated here,
for DPW overtime to start
vacuuming this trail.
This underpass is what the
North Street underpass once
looked like, before it got filled
in. To fully open the Rail Trail,
we need to dig out the North
Street underpass!
4: Pleasant Street crossing
4. The rail-trail crosses Pleasant
Street at the point shown. This
view looks back to Main Street;
the other direction enters
Belcher Park. Many cars drive
on the rail trail to attend soccer
games etc. at Belcher Park. A
“greenway crossing” would be
nice here (like a green-painted
crosswalk right where the
photographer is standing on
Pleasant Street)
5: Belcher Park to RICC
5. The rail-trail goes through
our municipal Belcher Park and
happens to run adjacent to the
RICC, the Randolph
Intergenerational Community
Center. There's a walking trail
through the woods there, and
the CPC funded a second
"Welcome" sign at that
location, to connect to the
RICC.
6: North Street overpass (west side)
6. At North Street, the rail bed was
buried decades ago when the North
Street overpass was reconstructed.
Proposal this year is to design a plan
re-open that tunnel under North
Street. There is a footpath up to
North Street with a rough trail
behind the old faded sign.
Replacement of that “Welcome”
sign is Sign #3 (adding to the two
signs already underway this year).
This sign will describe how to cross
North Street (without the tunnel
dug out, for now, via a painted
green crosswalk)
6: North Street underpass (west side)
6. Bottom of the hill behind the sign on North Street; this was once an underpass
6: North Street overpass (east side)
6. The next section on the eastern
side of North Street is much worse
than the western side -- very
overgrown, very unused, and very
unwelcoming.
You can walk in via the cemetery
now, through the litter and
overgrowth. The dug-out tunnel
would get to that same point.
For this year, a “green crosswalk”
painted on North Street, from the
sign to the cemetery, will do.
6: North Street underpass (east side)
6. Lots of litter cleanup and brush clearing needed just to get to underpass to design a plan
7: Cemetery “High Road”
7. The cemeteries don't actually
OWN the rail trail -- but people
entering the cemeteries have to
cross over the rail-trail and it will
feel like people using the rail-trail
are passing through a cemetery.
The task I'm proposing to the CPC is
to clear the brush and make it part
of the regular DPW maintenance
schedule to keep it clear.
And also to hire a surveyor/land
title investigator consultant to
clarify the ownership limits, along
the whole route.
8: Cemetery “Low Road”
8. The rail-trail itself in this section is ok -- it's level and wide, like a good railroad bed -- you can
walk it now. It’s not quote stroller/wheelchair accessible in some points, because you feel like
have to walk on the railroad tracks. Clearing cleanly to the property boundaries would help that
–then strollers and wheelchairs could go alongside the railroad track. These two driveways
need a “green crosswalk” painted, defining the width of the rail trail (wider than the tracks!)
9: Teed Drive crossing (looking east)
9.The next segment goes
through an Industrial Park
on Teed Drive. This is also
overgrown. The task here
is just to clear the
overgrowth.
The roadway shown
should have a “Green
Crosswalk” painted. Plus a
“Welcome” sign off to the
side of the road.
9: Teed Drive crossing (looking south)
9. This rail crossing sign once
proudly heralded trains crossing
Teed Drive. Let’s leave it
standing and clear the brush
along the rail trail!
This photo is from the Teed
Drive crossing, looking
southward toward the
cemeteries. The trail IS there,
just overgrown.
9: Teed Drive crossing (looking north)
9. This is an excellent location for another "Welcome" sign -- that's sign #4 (including the
two already underway). It'd be very visible from people entering Teed Drive and also
from North Street. This street needs a “green crosswalk” painted here.
10: Chief’s Way at Teed Drive
10. The intersection of Teed Drive and Chiefs Way is the end of the rail trail for this year.
Beyond this point is an unnamed Conservation Area (adjacent to South Stret
Conservation Area in Braintree) which I’ll propose linking from here, next year.
The rail trail does continue into
Braintree –Braintree has its own
CPC, and its own activist groups --
those people all say "I've been
thinking about this rail trail for
years" -- it would complete an off-
road connector from Randolph to
the Braintree MBTA station.
10: Chief’s Way (looking south)
10. This is the north endpoint
of the current project proposal.
People can walk from the
cemeteries to here; or can start
from Teed Drive.
A “Welcome” sign at the arrow
would mark the start of the
trail. That makes the 3rd newly-
proposed sign, for a total of 5
signs along the whole rail-trail
length.
Maybe some green painted
parking spots in the parking lot
shown, if the adjacent
businesses agree.
11: Chief’s Way (looking east)
You can see the Conservation Area at the end of Chief’s Way, which is the FedEx building
shown on the left. The Conservation Area is at the end of the road and off to the right.
FUTURE PLANS:
This Conservation Area is very large
and very inaccessible. I’ll propose
next year a footpath/boardwalk
project to make it accessible.
The footpath/boardwalk would
connect from this point to Kellaway
Drive and into Holbrook, and to the
Richardi Reservoir and into
Braintree.
Conclusion: Let’s open up
the Old Colony Rail Trail
CPC Application by
Town Councilor Jesse Gordon
jgordon@randolph-ma.ogv
617-320-6989
April 28, 2023